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THE  TRUSTEES  OF  THE  JOHN  F.  SLATER  FUND 

Occasional  Papers  No*  26 


A  DECADE 

OF 

NEGRO  SELF-EXPRESSION 


Compiled  by 

ALAIN  LOCKE 

•  •  Au*; AtweiMoKu*'  '  « 

Professor  of  Philosophy,  Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C, 


*£  .  . 

-  71 


With  a  Foreword  by 


HOWARD  W.  ODUM 

Director  of  the  School  of  Public  Welfare,  University  of  North  Carolina 


THE 


MICHIE  COMPANY,  PRINTER* 
CHARLOTTESVILLE.  VA. 


Foreword 


The  untouched  picture  of  the  American  Negro’s  cultural 
development  during  the  decade  immediately  following  the 
Great  War  has  nowhere,  so  far  as  I  know,  been  presented  so 
directly  and  effectively  as  in  the  story  of  self-expression  re¬ 
vealed  in  the  major  writings  of  contemporary  Negro  authors. 
And  the  story  is  convincing  and  satisfying.  It  is  vivid,  fac¬ 
tual  and  objective.  It  has  the  advantage  of  being  artistic  and 
it  does  not  confuse  or  identify  racial  traits  with  cultural  forms. 
Presentation  in  this  form  also  eliminates  the  common  liabili¬ 
ties  found  in  the  human  factors  of  prejudice,  limited  observa¬ 
tion,  and  inadequate  knowledge. 

The  turn  of  a  century,  the  rise  of  an  epoch,  the  aftermath 
of  a  conflict,  the  stirrings  of  a  social  process — these  are  al¬ 
ways  of  importance  in  their  elemental  significance  to  people 
and  nation.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the  Negro.  In  no 
aspect  of  the  American  scene  has  recent  transformation  been 
more  marked  or  development  more  accelerated  perhaps  than 
that  in  which  the  intellectual  Negro  has  played  his  part.  To 
say  that  it  is  an  unusual  record  is  commonplace.  Professor 
Robert  E.  Park  has  referred  to  this  renaissance  as  a  new 
philosophy  of  life,  a  rational  basis  of  new  hopes,  new  attitudes 
and  new  racial  and  social  traits.  It  is  important,  therefore,  he 
thinks,  to  judge  Negro  literature  as  an  “integral  part  of  a 
single  tradition,  and  as  a  unique  collective  experience.” 

Dr.  Locke,  in  the  present  paper,  has  well  referred  to  the 
new  expression  as  a  sort  of  composite  picture  of.  the  new  Negro 
mind  and  spirit  reflecting  its  influence  upon  Negro  life.  It 
is,  of  course,  not  entirely  new.  It  is  a  development,  a  summa¬ 
tion.  It  is  old  and  it  is  new.  It  is  exceptional  and  it  is  also 
representative  as  may  well  be  seen  from'  the  remarkably  large 
number  of  younger  Negroes  who  have  felt  the  creative  urge. 
From  every  state,  in  every  walk  of  life  they  have  tried.  They 


4 


Foreword 


have  failed  and  they  have  succeeded.  The  record  presented  in 
this  Occasional  Paper  which  Dr.  Dillard  offers  among  the  pub¬ 
lications  of  the  Slater  Fund  is  one  index  of  the  measured  suc¬ 
cesses. 

Interpretative  comment  in  this  foreword  would  scarcely  be 
in  harmony  with  the  form  and  spirit  of  the  paper.  One  may, 
however,  look  at  the  picture  and  report  some  of  the  things 
which  he  thinks  he  sees  there.  Literary  portraits  reflecting  a 
new  realism.  A  new  frankness  and  courage  to  face  facts 
without  fear,  excitement,  or  apologies.  Pride  and  artistry  in 
the  rediscovery  and  interpretation  of  a  rich  folk-background 
of  the  race.  Acclaim  of  youthful  authors,  valued  and  valuable, 
but  not  infallible  or  supremely  mature.  A  remarkable  quanti¬ 
tative  achievement,  yet  expecting  a  qualitative  sequel.  A  new 
understanding  of  the  challenge  to  achieve  universal,  as  well  as 
racial,  standards  of,  excellence.  Race  consciousness  and  urge 
alongside  integral  participation  in  American  life  and  cultural 
development.  A  race  and  a  national  epoch.  The  promise  of 
balance  and  poise  in  an  over-enthusiastic  and  highly  charged 
atmosphere.  A  new  tolerance,  charity,  and  patience.  A  mel¬ 
lowed  bitterness.  A  mature  vision  of  racial  co-operation,  race 
development  and  understanding.  A  new  outlook  and  with  it 
a  new  zest,  well  tempered  by  the  twin  forces  of  opportunity 
and  obligation. 

Howard  W.  Odum. 

Chapel  Hill,  N.  C. 

June  1,  1928. 


A  Decade  of  Negro  Self  Expression 

4 

By  Alain  LockL, 

Howard  University 

This  pamphlet  is  little  more  than  an  annotated  list  of  books 
written  by  Negroes  since  the  outbreak  of  the  World  War. 
With  it  as  a  guide,  however,  the  modern  minded  reader  may 
launch  out  on  his  own  quest  for  the  new  facts  and  points  of 
view  in  the  field  of  Negro  life  and  experience,  with  the  definite 
expectation,  if  he  persists,  of  making  his  improved  knowledge 
of  the  Negro  part  of  that  new  understanding  of  the  world  and 
of  human  nature  which  today  the  changing  social  order  de¬ 
mands  of  us  all.  During  this  period  the  Negro  mind  and 
spirit  have  been  revolutionized;  no  province  of  human  life  has 
been  subject  to  greater  change,  few  as  great.  Here  in  this 
new  body  of  cultural  self-expression  is  the  portrait  of  the 
changed  and  changing  Negro.  What  we  today  call  the  “new 
Negro”  is  just  the  composite  picture  of  this  new  mind  and 
spirit  reflecting  its  influences  upon  Negro  life. 

How  distinctive,  how  new  and  promising  this  new  spiritual 
world  which  the  Negro  mind  is  creating  and  into  which  it  is 
passing,  many  will  never  know.  For  many  minds  still  halt  at 
the  wall  of  prejudice.  It  is  noteworthy  and  fortunate  that  the 
Negro  spirit,  once  in  the  same  predicament  with  respect  to  it¬ 
self  and  an  outlook  on  life,  has  found  a  door,  and  passed  be¬ 
yond  blind  controversy  to  lucid  understanding.  A  young 
Negro  poet  puts  it — 

We  are  not  come  to  wage  a  strife 
Of  swords  upon  this  hill, 

It  is  not  wise  to  waste  our  life 
Against  the  stubborn  will; 

But  we  would  die,  as  some  have  done, 

Beating  a  way  for  the  rising  sun. 


6 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  SeeE  Expression 


Modern  America,  we  think  and  hope,  will  leap  the  self-imposed 
barriers ;  will  find  or  make  an  open  door  through  which  it  may 
pass  to  a  voyage  of  social  exploration  and  discovery.  And  if 
so,  there  will  not  only  come  as  a  result  of  the  venture  more 
light  on  the  Negro,  but  a  new  vision  and  practical  faith  in  de¬ 
mocracy. 

No  one  rightly  aware  of  the  changes  in  Negro  life  would  put 
trust  today  in  indirect  information  or  casual  observation  as 
his  means  of  knowing  the  Negro.  There  is  only  one  way  to 
this  now,  and  that  is  the  direct  approach,  the  immediate  first¬ 
hand  study  of  Negro  self-expression  and  cultural  self -revela¬ 
tion.  More  material  has  been  produced  in  the  last  decade  than 
in  two  or  three  preceding  generations.  Negro  literature  has 
grown  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  its  outstanding  exponents  are, 
apart  from  their  racial  influence  and  significance,  in  many  in¬ 
stances  figures  and  factors  in  general  American  culture.  One 
result  of  this  is  a  revolutionized  conception  of  the  Negro,  by 
others  as  well  as  himself,  considered  in  the  role  not  of  an  imi¬ 
tator  and  assimilator  of  American  civilization  merely,  but  of 
an  active  contributor  to  it.  In  contrast  with  “the  old  imme¬ 
morial  stereotype” — to  use  James  Weldon  Johnson's  words — 
“that  the  Negro  in  America  is  nothing  more  than  a  beggar  at 
the  gate  of  the  nation,  waiting  to  be  thrown  the  crumbs  of 
civilization,  that  he  is  here  only  to  receive;  to  be  shaped  into 
something  new  and  unquestionably  better”  comes  this  new 
“awakening  to  the  truth  that  the  Negro  is  an  active  and  im¬ 
portant  force  in  American  life;  that  he  is  a  creator  as  well  as 
a  creature;  that  he  has  given  as  well  as  received,  and  that  he 
is  the  potential  giver  of  larger  and  richer  contributions.” 

This  will  be  the  first  of  an  open-minded  reader's  conclu¬ 
sions.  His  second  will  be  the  realization  that  the  advance  ele¬ 
ments  of  Negro  life  today,  instead  of  being  regarded  as  en¬ 
tirely  “exceptional,”  are  felt,  by  the  Negro  at  least,  and  increas¬ 
ingly  by  intelligent  observers  generally,  to  be  “representative.” 
Genius  is  always  the  elite,  but  Negro  genius  is  nowadays  no 
more  exceptional  than  the  genius  of  other  peoples  with  a  func- 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Sege  Expression 


7 


tioning  sense  of  group  tradition  and  common  destiny.  Though 
far  in  advance  of  the  multitude,  it  acts  consciously  as  their  ad¬ 
vance-guard.  Its  attainments  bring  direct  pride  and  inspira¬ 
tion  to  the  rank  and  file,  who  with  the  newly  acquired  sense  of 
solidarity  share  and  participate  in  the  recognition  and  general 
enlightenment  which  come  in  ever  increasing  measure.  Much 
more  important  than  the  present  achievement  is  the  quicken¬ 
ing  and  releasing  influence  it  will  undoubtedly  exert  for  the  fu¬ 
ture.  And  so  we  may  speak  more  legitimately  than  ever  of 
the  endeavor  and  achievement  of  individuals  as  Negro  effort 
and  Negro  progress. 

One  important  thing  will  instantly  be  noticed  by  the  keen 
observer.  That  is  a  general  desire  in  this  forward  thrust  to¬ 
ward  cultural  expression  and  achievement,  not  to  be  patterned 
entirely  by  the  general  drift  and  trend  of  colorless  conformity 
to  American  life,  a  desire  not  to  be  merely  imitative.  A  half 
generation  back,  assimilation  was  the  prevailing  idea  in  Negro 
endeavor.  Now  it  seems  pointed  in  the  direction  of  distinctive 
achievement;  a  capitalization  of  the  race’s  endowments  and 
particular  inheritances  of  temperament  and  experience.  How¬ 
ever  this  movement  is  not  separatist  in  a  limiting  sense;  it  is 
no  voluntary  counterpart  to  the  segregation  reaction  of  an  in¬ 
tolerant  dominant  majority.  Rather  is  it  a  minority  promo¬ 
tion  move — an  attempt  to  capitalize  and  bring  one’s  own  stock 
to  par,  and  to  have  a  quotable  market  rating  and  a  recognized 
market  standing. 

An  occasional  book  or  two  written  before  1914  has  been  in¬ 
cluded  in  the  list,  like  Booker  T.  Washington’s  “Up  from 
Slavery”  or  “Souls  of  Black  Folk”  by  Doctor  Du  Bois,  be¬ 
cause  within  this  period  in  which  we  are  interested  they  have 
established  themselves  as  Negro  classics  and  come  into  the 
prime  of  their  influence.  But  ninety  per  cent  or  more  of  the 
list  is  of  quite  recent  date,  registering  in  fact  the  reoriented 
views  of  the  last  few  years  and  our  younger  generation,  who 
have  in  general  turned  from  propaganda  to  art,  from  cultural 
parade  to  self-expression,  and  in  the  field  of  social  discussion 


8 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Sege  Expression 


from  controversy  and  apologetics  to  scientific  social  analysis 
and  constructive  social  criticism. 

With  these  few  compass  points  of  direction  in  hand,  the 
reader  may  make  his  own  excursion  in  this  venture  of  human 
exploration  and  understanding.  He  can  keep  a  true  and  pro¬ 
gressive  course  through  no  matter  what  social  fog  or  storm  of 
partisan  controversy  his  particular  path  may  have  to  pass;  he 
can  also  be  assured  that  he  will  come  out  to  his  great  satisfac¬ 
tion  at  some  definite  port  of  conclusion,  no  matter  how  often 
he  has  to  alter  his  views  or  take  fresh  bearings  on  the  way.  It 
is  no  hardship  to  have  to  take  a  “new  Negro”  into  account 
when  one  has  to  take  stock  of  a  “new  world”  anyway.  It  is 
because  there  is  a  new  Europe,  a  new  America,  and  a  “new 
South”  in  fact,  that  there  is  a  changed  and  changing  Negro. 
Perhaps  also  this  is  the  reason  why  the  most  hopeful  and  for¬ 
ward  movement  of  the  social  mind  on  the  race  question  is 
coming  from  youth  reaching  out  in  sympathy  and  understand¬ 
ing  to  the  younger  generation  Negro.  It  pays  to  revise  one’s 
opinions  about  anything  these  days,  but  especially  on  a  sub¬ 
ject  where  the  greatest  obstacles  to  social  peace  and  goodwill 
are  the  obsolete  superstitions  and  outworn  stereotypes  that 
on  both  sides  still  cloud  our  social  thinking  and  warp  our  social 
reactions  in  race  relations  in  America.  But  these  cannot  per¬ 
sist  side  by  side  with  the  enlightenment  that  must  come  when 
the  Negro  capitalizes  himself  at  his  best,  and  that  best  is  widely 
known  and  appreciated. 


Social  Analysis  and  Discussion 

BrawlEy,  Benjamin  Grieeith  :  Your  Negro  Neighbor. 
New  York:  Macmillan,  1918. 

Africa  and  the  War.  New  York:  Duffield  &  Co.,  1918. 

Clark,  Jessie  McDougal:  New  Day  for  the  Colored  Wo¬ 
man  Worker.  New  York,  1922. 

DaniEG,  W.  A. :  The  Education  of  Negro  Ministers.  New 
York;  Doran  Co.,  1925. 

Garvey,  Amy  J. :  The  Philosophy  and  Opinions  of  Marcus 
Garvey.  New  York:  Universal  Publishing  Co.,  1923. 
A  record  of  radical  Negro  thought. 

Haynes,  George  E. :  The  Trend  of  the  Races.  New  York, 
1923.  A  program  of  inter-racial  attack  on  the  race 
problem. 

Harrison,  Hubert  H. :  When  Africa  Awakes.  New  York: 
Poro  Press,  1920.  A  radical  expression  in  terms  of 
the  race  problem  as  a  world  problem. 

King,  Willis:  The  Negro  in  American  Life.  New  York: 
Methodist  Book  Concern,  1926.  A  group  study  man¬ 
ual  for  inter-racial  work. 

Miller,  Kelly:  Out  of  the  House  of  Bondage.  Chicago: 
Neale  &  Co,  1914. 

The  Appeal  to  Conscience.  New  York:  Macmillan,  1918. 

The  Everlasting  Stain.  Washington,  D.  C. :  The  Asso¬ 
ciated  publishers,  1924.  Polemic  discussion  of  the  is¬ 
sues  from  1914  to  date. 

Rogers,  J.  A. :  From  Superman  to  Man.  New  York:  Lenox 
Publishing  Co,  1917.  A  polemic  on  the  notion  of  race 
superiority. 

Roman,  Charles  V. :  American  Civilisation  and  the  Negro. 
Philadelphia:  F.  A.  Davis  Co,  1916. 


10 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Sege  Expression 


Scott,  Emmett  J. :  Negro  Migration  and  the  War.  New 
York:  Oxford  Press,  1920. 

WesgEy,  Charges.  :  Negro  Labor  in  the  United  States.  New 
York:  The  Vanguard  Press,  1927.  The  first  im¬ 
portant  study  of  the  economic  role  of  the  Negro  in 
America. 

The  Negro’s  Cultural  Background 

BgydEn,  W.  E. :  African  Life  and  Customs.  London :  C.  M. 
Phillips,  1908.  A  scholarly  vindication  of  African 
folk-ways. 

Dubois,  W.  E.  Burgh ardt:  The  Negro.  New  York:  Henry 
Holt  &  Co.,  1915.  The  best  general  survey  to  date  of 
the  Negro’s  past  history  and  contributions  to  human 
civilization. 

The  Answer  of  Africa  in  “What  is  Civilization?”  New 
York:  Duffield  &  Co.,  1926.  A  comparison  of 
African  ideas  of  life  with  other  ideals  of  culture. 

Eggis,  George  W. :  Negro  Culture  in  West  Africa.  New 
York:  Neale  &  Co.,  1914.  A  study  of  the  contempo¬ 
rary  West  African  tribal  life. 

Jabavu,  D.  D.  T. :  The  Black  Problem.  Lovedale  Press, 
South  Africa,  1920.  A  native  African  leader’s  analy¬ 
sis  of  the  colonial  situation. 

Johnson,  SamuEg:  The  History  of  the  Yorubas ,  from  the 
Earliest  Times  to  the  Beginning  of  the  British  Pro¬ 
tectorate.  London:  J.  Routledge  &  Sons,  1921.  The 
most  complete  African  tribal  history  extant. 

MogEma,  S.  M. :  The  Bantu,  Past  and  Present .  Edinburgh: 
W.  Green  &  Son,  1920.  An  exhaustive  study  of  this 
African  federation  of  Peoples. 

PgaaTjE,  Sogomon  J. :  Sechuna  Proverbs,  with  Literal 
Translations  and  their  European  Equivalents.  Lon¬ 
don:  Keegan,  Paul  &  Trench,  1916. 


A  Decade  of  Negro  Serf  Expression 


11 


Historical  Studies 

BrawrEy,  Benjamin  G. :  A  Short  History  of  the  American 
Negro.  New  York:  The  Macmillan  Co.,  1919.  A 
short  practicable  manual  of  Negro  history  in  America. 

A  Social  History  of  the  American  Negro.  New  York: 
Macmillan,  1921.  A  valuable  interpretative  historical 
survey. 

C rom weld,  John  W. :  The  Negro  in  American  History. 
Washington,  D.  C. :  The  American  Negro  Academy, 
1914. 

PickEns,  Wirriam  :  The  New  Negro,  his  Political,  Civic 
and  Mental  Status.  Chicago:  Neale  Pub.  Co.,  1916. 

Scott,  Emmett  J. :  The  American  Negro  in  the  World  War. 
Privately  printed,  1919. 

Steward,  T.  J. :  The  Haitian  Revolution,  1791-1804.  New 

'  York:  Thos.  Crowell,  1914. 

Tayeor,  A.  A. :  7die  Negro  During  Reconstruction  in  South 
Carolina.  Washington :  The  Associated  Publishers, 
1926. 

The  Negro  in  the  Reconstruction  of  Virginia.  Wash¬ 
ington,  D.  C. :  The  Associated  Publishers,  1927. 

Collections  of  Negro  Poetry 

CueeEn,  CounTEE  (Editor):  Caroling  Dusk.  New  York: 
Harper  &  Brothers,  1927.  An  anthology  of  younger 
generation  poetry. 

Johnson,  James  Werdon  (Editor)  :  The  Book  of  Ameri¬ 
can  Negro  Poetry.  New  York:  Harcourt,  Brace  & 
Co.,  1922.  A  comprehensive  anthology  of  Negro 
poetry,  with  a  valuable  introduction  on  “Negro  Creative 
Genius.” 


12 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Sege  Expression 


Locke,  Again  (Editor)  :  Four  Negro  Poets :  Pamphlet 
Poets  Series.  New  York:  Simon  &  Schuster,  1927. 
A  popular  handbook  of  the  most  representative  current 
Negro  verse. 

Negro  Poets 

BraiTh waite,  Wm.  StangEy:  The  House  of  Falling 
Leaves.  Boston:  Luce  &  Co.,  1908. 

Sandy  Star  and  Other  Poems.  Boston:  The  Brimmer 
Co.,  1928.  The  original  poems  of  the  well  known 
poetry  critic  and  editor  of  “The  Anthologies  of  Maga¬ 
zine  Verse.” 

CarmichaEg,  J.  S. :  From  the  Heart  of  a  Folk.  Boston: 
The  Cornhill  Co.,  1918. 

Cotter,  Joseph  S.,  Jr.  :  The  Bank  of  Gideon  and  Other 
Poems.  Boston:  The  Cornhill  Co.,  1918. 

CuggEn,  CounTEE:  Color.  New  York:  Harper  &  Brothers, 
1925. 

Copper  Sun.  New  York:  Harper  &  Brothers,  1927.  The 
verse  of  a  leading  contemporary  poet. 

Dunbar,  Paug  Laurence:  The  Collected  Poems  of  Paul 
Laurence  Dunbar.  New  York:  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co., 
1920. 

Johnson,  Charges  Bertram  :  Songs  of  My  People.  Boston : 
The  Cornhill  Co.,  1918. 

Johnson,  Fenton:  Visions  of  the  Dusk.  New  York:  1915. 

Songs  of  the  Soil.  New  York,  1916.  The  poetry  of  pro¬ 
test  and  radical  expression. 

Johnson,  Georgia  Douggas:  The  Heart  of  a  Woman  and 
Other  Poems.  Boston:  The  Cornhill  Co.,  1918. 

Bronze.  Boston:  The  Brimmer  Co.,  1922.  The  leading 
Negro  woman  poet. 


A  Decade:  of  Negro  Sege  Expression 


13 


Johnson,  James  Wegdon  :  Fifty  Years  and  After  and  Other 
Poe'ms.  Boston:  The  Cornhill  Co.,  1917. 

God's  Trombones.  Seven  Negro  Sermons  in  Verse.  New 
York:  The  Viking  Press,  1927.  The  first,  an  im¬ 
portant  contribution  of  the  middle  period  of  Negro 
poetry,  and  the  latter,  one  of  the  outstanding  contribu¬ 
tions  of  the  recent  school. 

Higg,  LEsgiE  Pinckney:  The  Wings  of  Oppression.  Bos¬ 
ton:  The  Cornhill  Co.,  1917. 

Toussaint  UOuverture,  a  Dramatic  History  in  5  Acts. 
Boston:  Christopher  Press,  1928. 

Hughes,  Langston:  The  Weary  Blues.  New  York:  Alfred 
Knopf,  1926. 

Fine  Clothes  to  the  Jew.  New  York :  Alfred  Knopf, 
1927.  One  of  the  most  representative  contemporary 
Negro  poets,  known  especially  for  his  folk  interpreta¬ 
tions. 

Laviaux,  Leon  :  The  Ebon  Muse  and  Other  Poems,  trans¬ 
lated  by  J.  M.  O’Hara,  Portland,  Me.,  1914.  The  most 
brilliant  of  contemporary  foreign  Negro  poets. 

McKay,  CgaudE:  Harlem  Shadows.  New  York,  Harcourt, 
Brace  &  Co.,  1922.  A  representative  present  genera¬ 
tion  poet. 

ShackEGEord,  Wm.  H. :  Crackling  Bread  and  Other  Poems. 
Philadelphia,  1916.  Late  dialect  poems. 

Fiction  and  Belles  Lettres 

Ashby,  Wm.  M. :  Redder  Blood ,  a  novel.  Chicago:  Neale  & 
Co.,  1916. 

Braithwaite,  Wm.  StangEy:  The  Poetic  Year.  Boston: 
Small,  Maynard  &  Co.  1917. 

The  Annual  Anthologies  of  Magazine  Verse,  1913-1927. 
Boston:  Small,  Maynard  &  Co.  1913-1918.  Boston: 


14 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Sege  Expression 


The  Brimmer  Co.,  1918-1927.  Representing  the  most 
significant  sustained  literary  contemporary  contribution 
of  any  Negro  man  of  letters. 

BrawgEy,  Benjamin  G. :  The  Negro  in  Literature  and  Art. 
New  York:  Duffield  &  Co.,  1918. 

ChEstnutt,  Charges  W. :  The  House  Behind  the  Cedars. 
Boston:  Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  1900. 

The  Marrow  of  Tradition.  Boston:  Houghton  Mifflin 
Co.,  1901.  The  Re-construction,  its  problems  and  set¬ 
tings,  pictured  by  the  pioneer  modern  Negro  novelist. 

Cotter,  Joseph  S.,  Sr.:  Negro  Tales.  New  York:  Cos¬ 
mopolitan  Press,  1912. 

DuBois,  W.  E.  Burghardt  :  The  Souls  of  Black  Folk. 
Chicago:  McClurg,  1898.  A  classic  of  intimate 

spiritual  interpretation  of  the  Negro. 

The  Quest  of  the  Silver  Fleece ,  a  novel.  Chicago:  Mc¬ 
Clurg,  1911.  A  novel  of  the  South  and  its  epic — cot¬ 
ton. 

Darkwater.  New  York:  Harcourt,  Brace  &  Co.,  1920. 

Interpretations  in  the  vein  of  “Souls  of  Black  Folk.” 
Boston:  The  Stratford  Co.,  1924. 

The  Gift  of  Black  Folk.  The  Stratford  Co.,  1924.  An 
account  of  the  contribution  of  black  folk  to  the  mak¬ 
ing  of  America. 

Black  Princess.  New  York:  Harcourt,  Brace  &  Co., 
1928.  A  problem  novel  of  the  “intellectual”  class  on 
an  international  background. 

Eauset,  Jessie  R. :  There  is  Confusion.  New  York:  Boni 
&  Liveright,  1924.  A  novel  of  the  educated  classes  in 
a  Philadelphia  and  New  York  setting. 

Grimke,  Angegina:  Rachel ,  A  Drama.  Boston:  The  Corn- 
hill  Co.,  1920. 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Sele  Expression 


15 


Johnson,  James  Weldon:  The  Autobiography  of  an  Ex- 
Colored  Man.  New  York:  Sherman,  French  Co.  1912. 
Reprinted  in  The  Blue  Jade  Library,  Alfred  Knopf, 
New  York,  1927.  A  record  of  a  typical  personal  ex¬ 
perience  in  the  upper  strata  of  Negro  Life. 

Larsen,  Nella  :  Quicksands.  New  York:  Alfred  Knopf  & 
Co.,  1928.  A  life-history  of  a  Negro  woman  of  cul¬ 
ture,  also  on  the  international  background. 

Locke,  Again  (Editor)  :  The  New  Negro:  An  Interpreta¬ 
tion.  New  York:  A.  &  C.  Boni,  1925.  A  compen¬ 
dium  of  the  contemporary  cultural  expression  of  the 
“New  Negro/’ 

Maran,  RenE:  Batouala  (Prix  Concourt  Novel,  1921). 
New  York:  Thos.  Seltzer,  1922. 

Kongo ,  A  Novel  of  African  Life.  New  York:  A.  &  C. 
Boni,  1928.  African  novels  of  the  distinguished 
French  Negro  author,  the  former  being  the  Goncourt 
prize  novel  of  1921. 

McKay,  Claude:  Home  to  Harlem.  New  York:  Harper  & 
Bros.,  1928.  A  novel  of  Negro  “low  life,”  told  real¬ 
istically. 

Nelson,  Alice  Dunbar  (Editor)  :  Masterpieces  of  Negro 
Eloquence.  New  York,  1914. 

Pickens,  William  :  The  Vengeance  of  the  Gods,  a  novel. 
Philadelphia:  A  M.  E.  Book  Concern,  1922. 

ToomeR,  Jean  :  Cane,  a  novel.  New  York:  Boni  &  Liveright, 
1923.  A  brilliant  poetic  rendition  of  the  South  and  the 
Negro  in  modernistic  vein. 

Walrond,  Eric:  Tropic  Death.  Boni  &  Liveright,  1926. 
Stories  of  the  Caribbean. 


16 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Sege  Expression 


White,  WagTEr:  Fire  in  the  Flint.  New  York:  Alfred 
Knopf,  1924. 

Flight.  New  York:  Alfred  Knopf,  1926.  Human 
document  novels  of  contemporary  Negro  life. 

Woodson,  Carter  G.  (Editor)  :  Negro  Orators  and  Their 
Orations.  Washington :  The  Assoc.  Publishers.  An 
authoritative  documentary  record  of  Negro  public 
thought  and  publicists.  1926. 

Negro  Biography 

AgExandER,  Charges  :  Battles  and  Victories  of  Allen  Allens- 
worth.  New  York:  Sherman,  French  Co.  1914. 

Andrews,  Wm.  McCanTs:  John  Merrick,  a  Biographical 
Sketch.  Durham,  N.  C. :  Seamons  Press,  1920.  The 
biography  of  the  pioneer  modern  Negro  business  man. 

Bragg,  George:  Men  of  Maryland.  Baltimore,  1925.  Nota¬ 
ble  early  publicists,  church  and  anti-slavery  leaders. 

BrawgEy,  Benjamin  G. :  Women  of  Achievement.  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Soc.  Press,  Boston,  1919. 

Brown,  HaggiE  Q. :  Homespun  Heroines.  Xenia,  Ohio : 
Aldine  Pub.  Co.,  1927.  Biographies  of  noted  Negro 
women. 

Buggock,  Ragph  W. :  In  Spite  of  Handicaps.  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
Publication,  New  York,  1927. 

CorrothERS,  J.  D .:  In  Spite  of  the  Handicap,  an  Autobiogra¬ 
phy.  New  York:  Doran,  1916. 

Craweord,  George  W. :  Prince  Hall  and  his  Followers.  New 
York:  Crisis  Pub.  Co.,  1914.  An  account  of  the 
founder  of  Negro  Masonry. 

FausET,  Arthur  H. :  For  Freedom.  Philadelphia :  Frank¬ 
lin  Pub.  Co.,  1927.  A  modern  school  biographical 


A  Decade:  oe  Negro  Sege  Expression 


17 


supplementary  reader,  reflecting  the  spirit  of  the 
younger  Negro  mind. 

GrEEn,  John  P. :  Truth  Stranger  Than  Fiction,  an  Autobi¬ 
ography.  Cleveland,  Ohio :  Riehl  Printing  Co.,  1920. 

Haynes,  Elizabeth  R. :  Unsung  Heroes.  New  York:  Du- 
Bois  &  Dill,  1921.  A  book  of  race  biographies  for 
children. 

HunTon,  Addie  W. :  Two  Colored  Women  with  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Expeditionary  Forces.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. :  Brook¬ 
lyn  Eagle  Press,  1920. 

Jabavu,  D.  D.  T. :  The  Life  of  John  Tengo  Jabavu.  Love- 
dale  Press,  South  Africa,  1922. 

Jones,  Laurence  C. :  Piney  Woods  and  Its  Story.  New 
York:  Fleming  H.  Revells,  1922.  The  story  of  a 
backwoods  school. 

Mason,  Monroe:  The  American  Negro  Soldier  with  the 
Red  Hand  in  France.  Boston:  The  Cornhill  Co.,  1920. 

Moton,  Robert  Russa:  Finding  a  Way  Out,  an  Autobiogra¬ 
phy.  New  York:  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1920.  The 
autobiography  of  the  present  head  of  Tuskegee  Insti¬ 
tute. 

Pickens,  William:  The  Heir  of  Slaves.  New  York,  1911. 

Bursting  Bonds.  Boston,  1923.  An  autobiography  and 
a  sequel,  in  which  a  college-bred  Negro  looks  at  life. 

Scott,  Emmett  J.  and  L.  B.  Stowe:  Booker  T.  Washing¬ 
ton,  Builder  of  a  Civilization.  New  York :  Doubleday, 
Page  &  Co.,  1916.  The  official  biography  of  the 
founder  of  Tuskegee. 

Walters,  Bishop  Alexander:  My  Life  and  Work.  Chi¬ 
cago:  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  1917.  A  life  story  in¬ 
volving  sidelights  on  the  Niagara  movement,  and  the 
Negro  in  politics  in  1912-14. 


18 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Sere  Expression 


Washington,  Booker  T. :  Up  from  Slavery,  an  Autobiogra¬ 
phy.  New  York:  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1901.  The 
classic  story  of  Booker  T.  Washington’s  own  career. 

w 

Work,  Monroe  N. :  The  Negro  Year  Book.  Tuskegee: 
Tuskegee  Division  of  Records,  1917-1927.  An  an¬ 
nual  compendium  of  facts  about  the  Negro. 

Negro  Music 

BarranTa,  C.  J.  S. :  St.  Helena  Spirituals.  New  York:  Schir- 
mer,  1925. 

Brown,  Lawrence:  Five  Spirituals.  London:  Schott  &  Co., 
1924. 

Five  Spirituals  in  the  First  Book  of  American  Negro 
Spirituals.  Viking  Press,  1925. 

BurrEigh,  Harry  T. :  Spirituals  Arranged.  New  York: 
Recordi,  1917-1926.  Seculars. 

Dett,  NaThanier  J. :  Negro  Spirituals,  3  Volumes.  New 
York:  John  Church  Co.,  1919. 

Religious  Folk  Songs  of  the  Negro.  Hampton  Institute 
Press,  1927. 

Diton,  Carr  R. :  Four  Spirituals.  New  York:  Schirmer, 
1912. 

Four  Negro  Spirituals.  New  York:  Schirmer,  1914. 

Hare,  Maud  CunEy:  Six  Creole  Folk  Songs.  New  York: 
Fisher,  1921. 

Handy,  W.  C.  and  A.  B.  NirES:  Blues:  an  Anthology  of  Jazz. 
New  York:  A.  &  C.  Boni,  1926. 

Johnson,  James  Werdon  &  J.  Rosamond  Johnson:  The 
Book  of  American  Negro  Spirituals.  New  York:  The 
Viking  Press,  1925. 

The  Second  Book  of  American  Negro  Spirituals.  New 
York:  The  Viking  Press,  1926. 


A  Decade  oe  Negro  Seee  Expression 


19 


TaeeEy,  T.  W. :  Negro  Folk  Rhymes.  New  York:  The 
Macmillan  Co.,  1922. 

Cabin  Memories,  Four  Spirituals.  New  York:  Fisher, 
1921. 

White,  Cgarence  Cameron:  Negro  Folk  Melodies.  Phila¬ 
delphia:  Presser  &  Co.,  1927. 

Work,  John  Weskey:  Folk  Songs  of  the  American  Negro. 
Nashville,  Tenn. :  Fisk  University  Press,  1915. 

Magazines 

The  Crisis.  Published  by  the  National  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Colored  People,  69  Fifth  Avenue, 
New  York  City,  W.  E.  Burghardt  DuBois,  Editor. 
The  pioneer  journal  of  the  intellectual  school,  with  a 
program  of  investigation  and  publicity.  Also  devoted 
to  encouraging  literary  and  artistic  expression  among 
Negroes. 

The  Messenger.  Published  monthly  at  2311  Seventh  Avenue, 
New  York  City,  A.  Philip  Randolph,  Editor.  A  Jour¬ 
nal  that  began  as  an  expression  of  Negro  radicalism, 
but  has  shifted  from  the  strict  economic  radicalism 
to  a  program  of  independent  criticism  and  reportorial 
features. 

Opportunity.  Published  monthly  since  1920  by  the  National 
Urban  League,  17  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
Charles  S.  Johnson,  Editor.  A  Journal  promoting  the 
program  of  urban  social  investigation  and  social  work 
of  the  League  and  also  the  self  expression  program  of 
the  younger  Negro  school  of  thought. 

The  Journal  of  Negro  History .  Published  quarterly  by  the 
Association  for  the  Study  of  Negro  Life  and  History, 
1538  9th  Street  Washington,  D.  C.,  Carter  G.  Wood- 
son,  Editor.  A  scholarly  research  journal  in  Negro 
history  and  cultural  origins. 


20 


A  Decade  of  Negro  Segf  Expression 


The  Southern  Workman.  Published  monthly  at  Hampton 
Institute,  Hampton,  Va.  A  journal  representing  the 
Southern  educational  field  and  other  activities. 

The  Home  Mission  College  Review.  Edited  by  Benjamin 
W.  Brawley,  Shaw  University,  Raleigh,  N.  C.  Mainly 
devoted  to  the  work  of  the  colleges. 

The  Bulletin.  Edited  by  C.  J.  Calloway,  Tuskegee  Institute, 
Ala.  Organ  of  the  National  Association  of  Teachers  in 
Colored  Schools. 


Occasional  Papers  Published  by  the  Trustees  of 
the  John  F.  Slater  Fund 


4 


o 

r\ 


i 


\ 


1.  Documents  Relating  to  the  Origin  and  Work  of  the  Slater  Trus¬ 

tees,  1894. 

2.  A  Brief  Memoir  of  the  Life  of  John  F.  Slater,  by  Rev.  S.  H. 

Howe,  D.D.,  1894. 

3.  Education  of  the  Negroes  Since  1860,  by  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  LL.D., 

1894. 

4.  Statistics  of  the  Negroes  in  the  United  States,  by  Henry  Gannett, 

of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  1894. 

5.  Difficulties,  Complications,  and  Limitations  Connected  with  the 

Education  of  the  Negro,  by  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  LL-  D.,  1895. 

6.  Occupations  of  the  Negroes,  by  Henry  Gannett,  of  the  United 

States  Geological  Survey,  1895. 

7.  The  Negroes  and  the  Atlanta  Exposition,  by  Alice  M.  Bacon,  of 

the  Hampton  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  Virginia,  1896. 

8.  Report  of  the  Fifth  Tuskegee  Negro  Conference,  by  John  Quincy 

Johnson,  1896. 

9.  A  Report  Concerning  the  Colored  Women  of  the  South,  by  Mrs. 

E.  C.  Hobson  and  Mrs.  C.  E.  Hopkins,  1896. 

10.  A  Study  in  Black  and  White,  by  Daniel  C.  Gilman,  1897. 

11.  The  South  and  the  Negro,  by  Bishop  Charles  B.  Galloway,  of  the 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  1904. 

12.  Report  of  the  Society  of  the  Southern  Industrial  Classes,  Norfolk, 

Va.,  1907. 

13.  Report  on  Negro  Universities  in  the  South,  by  W.  T.  B.  Williams, 

1913. 

14.  County  Teacher  Training  Schools  for  Negroes,  1913. 

15.  Duplication  of  Schools  for  Negro  Youths,  by  W.  T.  B.  Williams, 

1914. 

16.  Sketch  of  Bishop  Atticus  G.  Haygood,  by  Rev.  G.  B.  Winton, 

D.D.,  1915. 

17.  Memorial  Addresses  in  Honor  of  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington, 

1916. 

18.  Suggested  Course  for  County  Training  Schools,  1917. 

19.  Southern  Women  and  Racial  Adjustments,  by  Mrs.  L.  H.  Ham¬ 

mond,  1917;  2nd  ed.,  1920. 

20.  Reference  List  of  Southern  Colored  Schools,  1918;  2nd  ed.,  1921; 

3d  ed.,  1925. 

21.  Report  on  Negro  Universities  and  Colleges,  by  W.  T.  B.  Wil¬ 

liams,  1922. 

22.  Early  Effort  for  Industrial  Education,  by  Benjamin  Brawley,  1923. 

23.  Study  of  County  Training  Schools,  by  Leo  M.  Favrot,  1923. 

24.  Five  Letters  of  University  Commission,  1927. 

25.  Native  African  Races  and  Culture,  by  James  Weldon  Johnson, 

1927. 

26.  A  Decade  of  Negro  Self-Expression,  by  Alain  Locke,  1928. 


